Jan. 2 to be a holiday to allow a four-day break: CPA

In an about face, the Central Personnel Administration (CPA) said last night that Jan. 2 would be a holiday in order to give people a four-day break starting on Jan. 1.

Lawmakers across party lines had urged that Jan. 2, a Friday, be made a holiday, but Central Personnel Administration Minister Chen Ching-hsiu (陳清秀) said on Monday that “it was too late” to make such a decision. Workdays and non-work days had to be decided at least four months in advance, Chen said.

Government guidelines state that Mondays or Fridays should be made a day off whenever Tomb Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival or Moon Festival fall on a Tuesday or Thursday. But the rule does not apply for Jan. 1, the Founding Day of the Republic of China, 228 Memorial Day on Feb. 28 or Oct. 10, Double Ten National Day.

The CPA had said that only Jan. 1 would count as a national holiday, but Jan. 2 would remain a working day. However, the Cabinet overturned the decision last night.

“There will be four consecutive days off in next year’s New Year holiday. We want people go out and travel to boost consumption,” Chen told a press conference at the Government Information Office.

The holiday will run from Jan. 1 to Jan. 4, while Jan. 10, a Saturday, will be a make-up work day.

Liu approved the change, Chen said, but did not say if Liu had ordered the CPA to change its stance.

When asked by reporters yesterday about lawmakers’ calls for the change, Liu said the decision was up to the CPA.

Although the decision was contrary to guidelines, Chen said it was made to comply with the government’s policy of stimulating the economy and domestic consumption.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus deputy secretary-general Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) told a press conference earlier in the day that the CPA should make Jan. 2 a holiday so the public could have a four-day break.

People would be more likely to go out and spend money during a long holiday, Lo said, which would boost the economy.